Is the first time you see an episode the best or the worst?

[ilcane87 72]

I've recently re-watched several episodes that I don't often feel like seeing again, because I didn't find them especially memorable or entertaining (though I really like them all).

And you know what? I had a blast doing so.

There were a ton of little gags and details that I didn't remember/notice, and overall they left me with a much better impression than I had before.

 

So that made me wonder: is the first time you watch an episode actually the least enjoyable?

Do early impressions really not do justice to episodes?

 

And yet I remember the first time I've seen my favorite episode, Magical Mystery Cure, and how i felt completely shaken by that amount of awesomeness; I've watched it countless times now, and while I still always get feels, it certainly does not compare to the day it aired.

But there are also episodes I absolutely love, like Pinkie Pride, that I didn't really appreciate as much the first time around, but only during the second watch I was able to take it all in, so to speak; I also get this a lot the first time I listen to songs, perhaps because on first listen/watch I'm more focused on absorbing the experience rather than just enjoying it.

 

So what is your stance? Do you like episodes more when they are new or when you've seen them before?

[碇 シンジン 27,427]

When you see the episode first time It's like opening a christmas present. You don't know for sure what is going to happen and that makes it interesting. It is still fun to watch those episodes again but you can't quite get the same feeling than first time.

 

You may realize new things from that episode if you rewatch it that you couldn't spot out on the first time. That is often reason why I rewatch them. I like to discover new things and delve into the atmosphere!

Edited September 19, 2014 by ooBrony

[Darker 1,351]

Remember when some people saw the Slender Man(e) in one episode?

 

That was awesome.

 

Alsom answering your question, no, the first times are sometimes not the best first times.

Edited September 19, 2014 by Darker

[Royal 57]

it depends on the episode

[Fawkes The Phoenix 737]

It depends, that's all i'm gonna say....

[Christmasy Britty 2,553]

I like them when I first see them cause then I get to see a new story each time (but this counts for all shows) I like episodes and they leave an impression on me so much so that I can watch them again though its not as magical seeing them the second time as it is the first, however the holiday episodes I like watching again and again

[duidamasterXD 9,626]

Everything tends to be much better on rewatch, when I've had time for everything to sink in and I'm able to look for things I missed the first time around. Some episodes get me really excited the first time around (Sleepless in Ponyville, Wonderbolt Academy, Testing Testing 1, 2, 3) but even those get better when the wild hype turns into the kind of hype I can explain and talk about.

[Shanks 10,811]

It depends on the episode, sometimes I will notice things that I didn't the first time I watched and sometimes it will have no significant effect but sometimes it will make me appreciate the episode more but sometimes it may do the opposite. Since the Return of Harmony two parter was the first episode I ever watched I liked it but once I watched all the other episodes before it I started to appreciate it even more. I love all the Applejack episodes (except for the Somepony To Remember Me) but I am finding things all the time that just add another reason for me to like them.

 

In Spike at Your Service I was mostly happy to get an Applejack episode so I didn't judge it too harshly but after watching it again once or twice I can see why some people didn't like it. The whole dragon honor code thing was believable but they made Spike a doofus from the get go instead of having him gradually devolve into that which would have been much more believable. And I always hated Magical Mystery Cure but watching it again actually made me hate it even more, I may not be more neutral about the twilicorn thing but I still haven't gotten the bad taste out of my mouth from that episode.

[PrymeStriker 408]

Some episodes I realize that my initial judgement was completely wrong upon visiting them again, like Rarity Takes Manhattan. Others I discover are worse than I remembered and my previous meal ends up in chunks on the floor. Thanks, Rainbow Falls...One Bad Apple...Simple Ways...

 

And now I need an aspirin. Thanks for that. 

[M'aiq the Liar 5,804]

It depends, quite often I will be over-hyped for an episode, and that will lead to me being severely disappointed until a later viewing when I remove alot of my emotional subjectivity. But then at times, I can enjoy a episode that others may dislike largely (for example Sonic Rainboom) due to it receiving a largely negative response I lower my expectations only to be pleasantly surprised by the episode. So it depends on the reaction to an episode (for example, even though I loathe it EqG did surprise me with its 2 good songs on it's score, but I was only surprised because I had been mentally comparing it to the negative reception it had received, if I had been comparing it to a normal FiM two parter I would have been more likely to not enjoy the score). So in all it really depends on how I expect the episode to be, and if there is any large reception to the episode in either negative or positive means.

[Jeric 46,835]

For the most part, yes. The best example I have is the first time I watched the show. When I first started watching FiM back during the initial 'Ponies are invading everywhere' era, it was out of curiosity over the whys and hows of the fandom and what I kept seeing. I analyzed the hell out of each episode looking for that magic silver bullet to explain the hype. While I appreciated aspects of the show, I still had this face when I was finished ...

 

I honestly couldn't figure this Pony shit out. When I went in for a second go years later, I realized I enjoyed the show immensely, and a large part of that was because I stopped analyzing it. I turned off '37 year old me' and turned on the inner child in me. Some of the episodes that didn't click originally began to. As I binge watched the show, I was seeing episodes that I obviously didn't watch originally, I followed this mentality - kid mind on ... nostalgia critic tied and gagged. I kept that analytical guy in me drugged and just watched. Now, going back I find that I can dig deeper ... and my appreciation for some of the episodes grows by looking for things I missed before.

 

So, two different approaches have changed my opinion of the show in general, and specific episodes. Watching the show for simple enjoyment after analyzing and disliking has improved my opinion. The only episode that has been tarnished after a repeat viewing is the 2nd part of the pilot. :/

 

Oh, and one episode remains bad ... no matter how often I watch it. (Lipstick Pone)

 

[Rainboom Dash 1,055]

It depends on the episode and how much I anticipate it. The first time is always exciting because you don't know what you're in for.

[ilcane87 72]

it depends on the episode

I think I'm starting to believe that is the case.

 

Speaking from my own experience, I'd say the episodes that make a big impact on me tend to be enjoyed the most when that impact happens, which is the first time I see them.

For instance, my first watch of A Canterlot Wedding was definitely the one I felt the most, nothing beats that cliffhanger at the end of the first part, then This Day Aria plays, then you see Chrysalis revealing herself and battling Celestia, then the Changelings invasion and battle... I mean seriously, it was one shocking thing after the other.

I could say the same about Magical Mystery Cure, you get the heartfelt friendship hymn of True True Friend, followed by moving moments with Celestia and her song, then Twilight's ascension comes; it was a truly impactful celebration of everything from the past three seasons, one that I felt the most when I saw it for the first time.

 

But when it comes to episodes that may very well be outstanding, though not because of surprising twists or big plot developments, but simply because they are very well put together, then the more I watch them, the more I find reasons to appreciate them to the fullest.

One such episode, for me, was Pinkie Pride; I mean really, the premise alone told me everything that would happen, 'a musical episode about two party ponies battling it out', there was almost nothing left to discover. So the first time I saw it, I followed an overall predictable plot without a specific scene or development that would be burnt into my memory, and while I thoroughly enjoyed it, only with subsequent watches I was able to appreciate how masterfully told that little story was, and how chock-full of content and brimming with charm that episode turned out to be.

 

So, long story short, my personal verdict is that.... it depends!

[Wind Chaser 4,767]

It's true, the first viewing is to me the most enjoyable because of the unknown, you never really know how exactly it's gonna go. It's especially even more exciting on hyped episodes like the two-parters.

 

The quality of the episode really determines how good or not subsequent viewings are. If it's a really dense episode, it's fun to rewatch and look for stuff you missed, and if it was a really hyped or personally significant episode, it's great to rewatch to relive that time in your life. "Winter Wrap-Up" reminds me of this really fun volunteer job I used to do every year, and rewatching the two-parters always takes me back to the hype during the run-ups to the episodes.

[Felix 1,363]

The first time I watch it is always the best. You never know what's coming, what to expect, and how it'll look. Not just for MLP either. I recently saw Maze Runner in theaters. Now, I've read the books, but it was still fun to watch with the unknown of how the Grievers would look, how the maze would look, the actors they'd use, the differences they'd make and how it'd look when so and so happens. Seeing and hearing everything that happened in the book. So even when I know what's gonna happen just the sense of seeing words come alive is always exciting and enjoyable.

[Megas 27,069]

If I hate an episode the first time I watch it, then I'm probably gonna hate it forever.

 

So far that's happened with only 5 episodes

[Stellafera 3,835]

The worst. While there's some episodes that I enjoy straightaway (Testing, Testing, 1, 2, 3 comes to mind), those are usually top caliber episodes, and my knee-jerk reaction to things I don't like is much stronger the first time through. I think more positively of most episodes once the dust settles a bit.

 

And some of it is just about lowering expectations. Daring Don't sucked when I wanted it to actually be a good-quality RD episode, but now I love it for being campy OOC shit like Rainbow Dash literally

 

 

how can you not love

[Treble Bolt 1,122]

I wouldn't watch an episode 30+ times if I didn't continue to enjoy it

[Moved to Elsewhere 11,329]

Mostly episodes are the most enjoyable on the first watch. Some episodes are great when not thinking about so you will mostly see what's wrong with an episode on the second run. Or there are those episodes where you'll notice more great things about it in another watch.

[Starflower 323]

I like giving episodes another chance if my impression towards them isn't of good par than the others. I know I'll end up having a different opinion on them. Common reasons would be: maybe I didn't understand it the first time around? Maybe I wasn't fond of the storyline and it could have been better? Maybe the moral didn't make sense at first? It's alright to give them another chance. It's still ponies anyways! 

[rpc8169 228]

I usually like them better the second time I watch them. I'll realize there's even more than I thought to an episode. An example would be Hurricane Fluttershy, which I thought was pretty good the first time, but when I watched it again, I simply loved it.

[11111111111111111111 146]

I do believe that the first time you watch something it is the best. But I also REALLY enjoy re-watching things many many times. Both have their merits and perks. 

[Will Guide 21,325]

Hard to say about the FIRST time I watch an episode, but...I will say watching the episode in question with a friend who is seeing it for the first time after I've already seen it myself alone is better than when I first see it first thing all by myself.

 

That sounded a little redundant...

Edited September 23, 2014 by WiiGuy2014

[Zygen 6,065]

It really depends honestly, as someone who has rewatched all the episodes of the show atleast once(And quite a few times when it comes to S1 and S2 ;p. ) I can say there are episodes I enjoyed more the first time, and some I enjoyed more on subsequent watches. 

 

Some I simply enjoyed in a different way, like I may have enjoyed the surprise or mystery or something about an episode more so at first, but I might appreciate something else I didn't notice.

 

This may be the case with certain feel inducing moments, like Fluttershy crying in Hurricane Fluttershy, which the first time I watches was more emotionally impactful than on subsequent watches when I knew it was going to happen, it still impacts my emotions, just not as much as the first time really.

 

But on the other hand, I appreciate some of the more complex things about the episode more than the first watch, like how well Fluttershy and Rainbow are written in the episode, and stuff like that.

 

There are also episodes I just don't appreciate at all the first time watching, a good example of this is "Suited for Success" in S1, which I couldn't stand the first time watching, as I was a new brony, and thought it to "girly"

 

But upon watching it over again after some time I came to the realization that it's actually a really good episode.

 

So yeah, long story short, it really just depends on the episode, and how you look at it. Regardless, I've still rewatched all the episodes quite a few times thus far ;p.

[Radiance64 7,051]

The first time I see an episode of MLPFiM is usually the time that I most enjoy it, yeah. I've grown to like more/dislike some episodes on repeated viewings, though.